I walk around the wagon, tying up the soldiers that I had knocked out earlier. While doing so, I found the captain whom Rose had. Um. Whom she had killed. Somehow, without leaving a mark it seems. I. Um. Guess she was desperate to save the father. I didn’t get there soon enough to assess the situation before he was downed. Earlier, I had left one awake so I could ask him some questions and I went to ask them now, only to find a drag mark on the road leading towards the distance. I walked further and found the man crawling and dragging his body along. When he heard me walking up behind him he shouted in fear and started crawling faster. I grab him by the back of his armor to stop his movement, which is a little hard but he doesn’t have the leverage to use his full strength it seems.

“Please! Spare me! I, I was just following the Captain’s orders!”

“That’s not an excuse to commit deplorable acts. You’re the Duke’s man, at least act like a soldier.”

“I. I. But, but this is what it’s always like?”

“Soldiers acting as brigands? Does Sir Frostsword know about this?”

“I. The Captain said that the orders came from him!”

“Liar. He’s a decent man. If you were following orders they weren’t from him.”

“Then- Then you’d have to ask the Captain where they came from! I’m just a grunt, I don’t know anything.”

“You don’t even know how to act human, I suppose you wouldn’t know where your orders came from. Now then, tell me, how long have the Duke’s men been off their leash?”

“What are we? Dogs?”

“Well, as we’ve established, you don’t know how to be people. People don’t take pleasure in hacking off a poor father’s arm while their friends kill his daughter or worse. Dogs might be too generous, but snakes don’t tend to act in packs. Coyotes maybe? Scavengers, eating scraps left by bigger predators, lashing out when they can’t get enough to eat.”

The man started spluttering in indignation, fear replaced by the mix of surprise and anger.

“Well the question, I suppose, is why they aren’t getting enough to eat. So, scavenger, tell me, why has the hand that feeds you stopped?”

“Who? The Duke? The Duke’s never cared what we do! And a little bit of extra money never hurt anyone!”

My eyes go red again and I punch him, hard. I hear a crack and that brings me out of my rage a bit but my blood is still boiling.

“I was wrong. You aren’t a scavenger. You. Are. DUNG. ‘Never hurt anyone’? YOU CUT OFF A MAN’S ARM! You would’ve killed his daughter if I hadn’t stopped you! SHE! IS! FOUR YEARS OLD YOU SLIME!”

And I hit him again, rage overtaking me. Fuck, I’m better than this. But it’s so hard to hold back when he looks like I’m telling him something irrelevant.

“But who cares about a couple commoner devilkin?”

“I DO! And so does the Duke. If he caught wind of this, he who cares for his people, do you think he’d turn a blind eye? His name is the Sword Duke for a reason, he doesn’t carry Ythene around for show. And he has stolen many a man’s soul who crossed him. But this isn’t a matter for him to judge. It’s a matter for the people you’ve wronged. At least, the ones still alive that is. So what I’m going to do is tie you up and gag you and all your friends. I’ll leave your captain’s body for the dogs and whatever other scavengers want it. I’ll even take it out of its shell for them. He deserves it. But I’m going to take you lot with me to Fellpoint and have them pass judgment on you there. Here’s a hint: You should really start praying to the Lady of Light right about now, for she is merciful but I. Am. Not.”

He started blabbering again but I was done with him. I gagged him and bound him, using rope from the merchant’s wagon. I plan to either reimburse him the cost or make him new rope. I go to yank the man to his feet but remember that I cut their heel’s edge, making them incapable of walking. Well, I seem to have made things harder on myself. I wrap the rope around his arms and torso in a harness and drag him back the way we came. He’s in armor, he’ll be fine…probably.

By the time I return to the wagon, the other soldiers seem to be awake and look at me with resentment. Though not for long, seems one look at my face has them changing their tune, so to speak. And I am truly pissed right now. If they make one wrong move I honestly fear what I might do. Calm down, Val, just calm down. God it’s so hard to calm down without Rose to help me. Though I also wouldn’t want to show this side of me to her, I think it’d ruin her image of me in her mind and I don’t want that.

I tie the harness to the rest of the soldiers and their post in the ground, then enter the wagon to speak to Emmy. Seems her father’s awake! Good, time to ask some questions.

“Are, are you the one that saved us? Healed me?”

“I am. How are you feeling? Is anything out of sorts?”

“No, no, I’m fine, just fine! Even better than fine! It’s funny, I thought that in all the commotion that they’d cut off my arm! Thankfully, it seems to have been a mistake my mind made from the stress.”

“That can happen I’ve heard. Um, come outside. I’d like to show you something and ask your opinion. Emmy, please stay in the wagon.”

“I’ll come, traveler. And Emmy, please do what they’ve asked of you.”

“Kaaayyy.”

I jump down from the wagon and offer a hand to help the man down. He balks at the soldiers sitting on the ground around his wagon but steels his nerves, though I see sweat starting to bead on his forehead and neck.

“Sir, these are the brigands that attacked you. They may bear the Duke’s colors but I believe them to either be deserters or to be rogue operators disobeying or simply acting outside their orders. I have questioned one but lost the stomach for it quickly. I’m not asking you to do any more than I have, simply asking you if Fellpoint has the ability to hold and judge all of these men. If not, I will abide by whatever punishment you see fit.”

“I. Child, you are my savior this day, but I cannot hold sway over another’s life. Do not ask that of me, I beg you.”

“Very well, I will not force the choice on you. But, I must reiterate, does Fellpoint have the ability to hold prisoners? To pass judgment on them?”

“Um. We have a few holding cells, mostly for when people get a little heated, they take them there to cool off for a bit before mediating the argument. I suppose they could hold them there temporarily. As for judgment, um, there are the Chieftains.”

“More than one?”

“One for each of the groups that founded Fellpoint. One for the draconids, one for the devilkin, and one for the felinoids. So, three overall. They, I mean, I suppose they could, well, might pass judgment in the Duke’s stead. But! But it truly is a matter for the Duke, especially if they are deserters wearing his colors, then taking them to the Duke is the correct choice.”

“Unfortunately, I cannot do that as I have been exiled. If I appear in the Duke’s land once more I risk my life and freedom.”

“I see. That is unfortunate. It would take one as strong as you seem to be in order to properly guard them alone.”

“Yes. The next question I have is, how far are we from Fellpoint?”

“Only a few hours. Maybe 8 or so? We should be there before the sun descends.”

“Is the wagon in good enough condition to get you two there?”

Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

“Yes, It seems that the fire only damaged it superficially. As long as we replace the canopy when we arrive the wagon should carry us for many more years, gods willing.”

“Very well, then I will give you a headstart, so that you don’t have to travel alongside these brigands.”

“Alright then. Oh yes, child, my name is Trunor, thank you very much for saving me and my daughter’s lives. May I know your name?”

“My name is Valkyrie, though my friends call me Val, same as you might.”

“Then my thanks to you, Valkyrie, for our lives. May your travels be swift and worthwhile.”

“Yes. Go with Light’s Blessing and Wind’s Speed.”

And with that, Trunor climbed into the driver’s seat and got the freckums going, the six-legged, thick skinned beasts of burden lowing lowly as they resume their eternal trudge. Emmy poked her head out the back and waved to me enthusiastically. I waved back with a smile on my face. As they left my sight, I sighed, smile melting back into a neutral expression, and faced the dung tied up around me and got to work. They were all wearing armor and not all of them were incapable of walking. So I went to the woods by the side of the road and found a fallen log that would meet my purposes.

I cut the log in half with the Thorn, which was harder than I thought it would be but my sword didn’t sustain damage so I might’ve gotten lucky there. Doubly so, I suppose, because Rose always throws a fit when I use the wrong tool for a job. “The right tool makes light work. The wrong tool costs time and money on a replacement”. She also says that the only use for a sword is hurting things because they quite literally aren’t built for much else. I’m starting to see her point on both accounts.

Either way, the inside of the log had started to become worm eaten, so I start to clean out the rot and soon enough I have two semi-servicabe sleds! They aren’t the best but will serve well enough for the next few hours…I hope. Next, I use some fire magic to burn some holes near the front on both sides, then tie a rope through them with plenty of slack, for use as a means to drag the sleds. I then direct the prisoners that can stand to place those that can’t on the sleds. They reluctantly comply and seem to protest even more with my next order.

“Alright, those that can walk will drag the sleds carrying those that can’t. We’re going further along the road. It normally takes a few hours to reach our destination so I hope we’ll get there by dusk. If you do not walk, well, you know what I’m capable of and I’m tired of playing nice with you lot. So, you two, grab that rope, and you two grab that one. You’ll get a break every hour. The only water around is at our destination so if you get thirsty, walk faster.”

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It took 2 hours for my first escapee. During the hourly break, one of them decided they had a chance, or that their chances were better running than walking to their judgment. Well, He got maybe 20 feet before he got a kick to the head that sent him flying into a tree. I proceeded to drag him back to the sleds and threw him on one.

“He’ll be another burden to you until he wakes up. I won’t stop you from showing him your displeasure if that is what you feel. But, if you all try to run, I’ll knock you out and then drag you back. I’ll sit here and watch you until you wake up and then you’ll go back to walking, just this time with a concussion. So, don’t test me. You have tried my patience enough and I am not incapable of killing you.”

I’m lying to them. I hate this. I hate all of this. I can’t kill them, no more than I can judge them. I’m not a killer, I know that deep inside of me, I might get angry one day and kill someone, or do it by accident, and that scares me. I’m not angry at these men anymore, just tired. They’re deplorable but I was angry because I expected them to be able to realize that they were deplorable and fix themselves, but they’re not repentant at all. They don’t think what they did was wrong. They see themselves as above these people somehow. Detestable, deplorable people. I tried to reassign them to a different category in my mind but it’s impossible to do. They’re still people despite what they did. But that doesn’t mean I have to forgive them, just that I can’t kill them. I don’t particularly want to keep hurting them either, I just want to be done with them.

I miss Rose. I know that she did it to help me, but I hope she wakes up soon. Last I saw, she was still floating in that same space, asleep, even after the wagon left. I would’ve stayed with her until she woke up, but instead I sent her a chat message telling her about what happened, how grateful Trunor and Emmy were, and about what I was doing now and where I was going. I just hope she wakes up soon.

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I’m floating. Yeah, duh I’m floating but fuck you it feels different this time. Like I’m in warm water lapping at me, but I’m still so cold. I never really noticed how cold I am until now. God I’m freezing. Maybe it’s a good thing Val can’t touch me, or else I’d freeze them too. Oh god, that ache is coming back. Well, it never went away, but now I remember that it's there and god damnit I hate it. I’ve been hurting ever since I died but I forgot about it. How did I forget about this? It feels like I’m melting inside. I want to scream. I open my mouth but nothing comes out, instead something fluid rushes in and now I’m drowning and melting and oh god, can a ghost drown?

I’m panicking, I’m panicking and just as I feel my brain beginning to break, the pain is gone suddenly. Instead of drowning me, the fluid is spread throughout me, and it feels better again, I can forget the melting again.

Wait. There’s someone here. I didn’t notice before because of the pain but they’re right next to me. My eyes snap open and I turn to face them, only to be met with a beautiful figure. They are so gender, is all I can think. They’re masc and femme and both and neither and oh my god looking at them is mesmerizing. They seem to get a kick out of my expression as they give a light chuckle and start to speak to me in a voice that transcends sound and hits my heart directly.

“Hello there, Rose. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’ve been waiting for this for a very. Long. Time.”

“Who, um, uh, hehe, um, Hi. Name Rose is me. Um, uh, hi? Shit I said that before. Fuck. Um. Fuck. Sorry.”

They lean their face in close, oh god too close, with a face like that you’re going to melt my brain if you get this close.

“Hmmm. You don’t have to be so nervous my dear. I assure you, I’m friendlier than my daughter and won’t play around with your memories like my dear nephew. So please, relax. You are quite safe here. I apologize for the unfortunate sensations you experienced on your arrival but they were necessary to help heal you, at least partially. Enough to get by, I suppose.”

“Um, I, Heal? Me you heal? Heheh sorry. You me healed? Agh, sorry. Um, but, name? Name is you? FUCK! HI! MY NAME IS ROSE WHAT IS YOURS?”

They throw back their head and laugh like a babbling brook doused in birdsong. Oh my gods that’s a sound I want to hear forever.

“My name, dear Rose, is Mandynox. I am the deity that presides over all of the magic in the world. Some call me the Divine Monarch. Some call me the Font of Magic and Divinity. For you see, I am the deity from which all the others came from. My sister and brother are mere expressions of myself at different times. And those gods and goddesses that are not my siblings are either my children or their children. I have existed since before the dawn of time. When my siblings were born out of my loneliness, together we crafted the world, stone by stone, tree by tree, ocean and mountains and vast plains and all the creatures that fly, run, jump, swim, and all other manners of locomotion. My brother found delight in creatures he could easily hold a conversation with and crafted the mortal races. My sister found delight in the wyrd and esoteric, and thus crafted all the monsters you see and have fought in the wild. I delighted in the small, the lovely, the oft overlooked, and crafted all the other creatures. So tell me, how do you enjoy our work?”

“I. Um. First. Uh. First off, it’s a pleasure to meet you, your highness.”

“Oh please, do not stand on formality. I grew tired of it millenia ago when my nephew wouldn’t stop coming up with different respectful terms of address.”

“Right. Um. It’s, it’s my favorite place. I love almost everything about the world. At times it feels like it was made to make me happy. But, uh, I have to ask: Why me? Why are you talking to me?”

“Why, because you showed up at the door to my domain, sick and cold, and empty. Not many can reach here, even fewer while unconscious. So I asked around and learned your name and your story, my most dear and annoying nephew told me. But he never asks the questions that matter to me. I’m so glad you like the world we made. As to why it feels like it was made for you, it’s because it was made for all who live or visit it. I am ever so glad you chose to stay here after visiting for so long.”

“Oh, um, so you know this world is a game?”

Another bubbling laugh.

“My dear, the world and your life are what you make of it. If a game is what you make of it, then I suppose a game it is! Personally, I see it as a project, always ongoing, always needing a few tweaks here and there but so dreadfully easy to pick to death. As I have the heaviest hand among all of my family, I normally simply watch what happens and enjoy myself that way.”

“Can I ask you, why. Why am I here? Not here with you, per say, but here in this word at all. As far as I can figure, I, um, died while visiting and somehow became a ghost. Why did that happen?”

“Oh I haven’t the foggiest! You’d have to speak to my niece, She of Shadow and Whispers as a poet once called her. She detests the name, and everytime I tease her with it she shouts at me for years at a time. Quite entertaining I must say. She’s so cute when she’s mad.”

“Oh. Um. Ok. How do I get in touch with her?”

“Well I suppose that would be up to her and her interest in talking to you. So I suppose just try to get her attention somehow. Maybe by praying to her? She’s not very vain but everyone likes presents now and again.”

“I. Um. Alright. I guess I can do that.”

“Seems like a plan then. Now then, while we’ve been chatting, you’ve been recovering outside of this dream.”

“Wait! You said you healed me before, what did you heal?”

“You held a memory of a deep pain from the moment your visit ended and your life here began. I cannot take it away entirely, but as long as you contain my power, it will be mostly eased. However, the more you use what you all call mana, the more the pain will rear its head. Do be careful when you return, dear Rose. As one who lives in our world, I am rooting for you to do your best and to be happy. I hope you can do that for me.”

“Yes, um, thank you, Mandynox.”

“Why you’re very welcome. Now then, time for you to wake up I think.”

“You’re very pret-”

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“-ty. Damn.”